Cryptic Dead
by PinkMenace1227
Summary: Alyssa Miller has been thrown into a situation no normal 14-year-old girl would, she is special. She has Special Eyes. She has to slay zombies with a pair of beings she hardly knows, some of which she knew and loved dearly. No one is who they really are.
1. Prologue

|Prologue|

"PH 3674." My mom repeated, gazing at the small index card in her hand.

I squatted down and closely examined the extensive shelf of small orange boxes. "I see 3607..." I reported glancing up at her.

She shook her head and pulled out her glossy, black iPhone; her last resort. I sighed heavily and stood back up.

Two men with round stomachs and long, saggy faces waddled into the aisle. I gave them a small glance as my only acknowledgement.

"Hey, are you sure you needed a 3674?" My mom spoke into the phone.

It was Saturday night, seven thirty. Instead of wasting my time on my laptop, I was stuck at Wal-Mart searching for some type of filter for my mom's 2002 Suburban. None of the letters and numbers made sense but I searched for that little orange box.

The two men were browsing for oil, I was sure, when I caught them standing awkwardly facing us desperately trying to find a spoke to cut into our conversation.

We were hopeless, we looked hopeless. Three girls; a 42-year-old, a 17-year-old, and a 14-year-old in a men's aisle at seven thirty at night just screamed, "We're lost."

I assumed we weren't going to be here long; I was sure wrong. I hadn't gotten the time to apply any makeup (which bothered me greatly) or have the decency to change out of my pajamas.

"What are you looking for?" One of the two men, gripping a McDonald's cup in his hand, inquired.

"Oh, a filter for our car but we're not having any luck finding the right one..." My mom told them holding her phone away from her mouth.

"What type of-" That's all I heard until...

Clack-clack-clank!

The sharp, clacking of wood (or bones; wood sounded more realistic.) pierced the air that made me pause. The noise was almost faded and I could tell from where I was standing, it was aisle away from ours.

I looked at my mom, who was in deep conversation with the man. She showed no sign, or acknowledgement that she had heard that. No one had any reaction if they had heard it!

I shook my head slowly as if riddening it from my mind when-

Clack-clack-clank!

There is was again! And no one else heard it!

What's that old saying? I wondered nervously. Three times and you're crazy? I listened fearing it would come again but to my thankful surprise, it didn't.

I exhaled slightly and banished it from my mind.

"There." The man holding the McDonald's cup exclaimed, jabbing his pudgy finger at some small text in a book I was holding. I hadn't even realized I had picked it up; I hadn't realized I actually picked it up. "They are all 3607." He ran his finger a long a time of numbers that were identical: 3607.

"Could they have changed the number?" My mom questioned.

"That's possible..." -clack-clack-clank!- "...how likely it is though."

I physically sagged in defeat and annoyance. I silently offered out the book to the man who took it gladly and carried on explaining.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I murmured into my mom's ear. She approached with a quick nod. I hurried off, searching for the source.

The particular aisle we were at was in the far right-hand corner of the warehouse that made up Wal-Mart.

Clack-clack-clank!

I strode hastily down the back aisle of the store. It was getting louder and louder as I past more empty aisles. I quickened into a steady jog. I peered into one aisle and I halted, immobilized. My jaw fell.

In the middle of the bathing aisle with the scented goodies I enjoyed so, two being were present. One of them had a broad, shiny forehead that extended past it's nose and hid its eyes. It had a dark maw full of sharp teeth, oozing with saliva. It's entire, slender body was wrapped in a skeletal, bone-like suit. It was in an awkward, low crouch, it's long arms slouched over its knees and leaned against its shoulder was a white scythe with a rather dull blade. The second and final being was lying on its side, its arm resting on its folded knee. It was consumed in a thick, spiky coat of fur and a narrow, dog-like skull with sharp ears.

The strange beings were enjoying some type of... game. Both beings tossed down in the space between them what appeared to be tiny wedges of wood, pasty white bones, and small metal chips.

"Aha! That's another win!" The eyeless being hissed with a hollow voice. The second hair-covered being growled. "Heh, heh, heh." The eyeless being chuckled, gathering its loot.

My mouth gaping, adrenaline prickling every air on my arms and legs quivering, I managed a low, hushed shriek.

The two being head's snapped to face me and I almost collapsed in fear. The eyeless being sprung up and armed itself with its scythe, grasping it tight in his fist. The fur-covered being's hair stood straight as it moved into a tense stance.

"Are you a zombie?" The eyeless being snapped hastily, slinking closer.

"A z-zombie?" I could barely pronounce the word; or move my lips.

The eyeless being nodded quickly. "You do know what a zombie is right?" The being inquired in an almost amused voice.

"Yes." I mumbled. "But they're not re-real."

"Not real?" The eyeless being bellowed. I flinched and began to shake and my stomach knotted. The fur-covered being snarled, licking its fangs.

Then the eyeless being wailed with laughter. "Where have you humans been the last couple hundred years?" It threw its head back, laughing hysterically.

That's when I began to shake violently, gasping for breath.

"You are completely unaware of what's happening around you! Isn't that right, Hiemon?" The fur-covered being barked in approval.

"What?" I gasped.

"Look doll-face; no one can see or hear us except a few. And no one can see the treachery your world is undergoing! Except that few." It's gaze fell on to me, I think. "You should be honouring us for all the work and breath we put into protecting your world."

"Protecting from what?" I whispered.

"The zombies! Zombies can see us; so can the Zombie Slayers!" The fur-covered being "Hiemon" roared.

"It's an equal match really." The eyeless being added with a dangerously light tone. "Though, its hard to tell who are zombies and who are Zombie Slayers. From my perspective now... you could be either."

"How do you know?" I murmured.

"You can't tell. We can. Zombie Hoarders is an acceptable name you could call us." The eyeless being spoke. "But if you really want to know, we'll tell you."

I didn't utter a word. My throat was dry as bone.

"What do you think, Hiemon?" The eyeless being asked leaning against his scythe for support. The fur-covered being sat on its hunches and studied me. "Zombie? or Zombie Slayer?"

The beings stood in silence, observing me.

This is a dream. I told myself. None of this is real! They're not there. They're only fragments of my imagination.

"Zombie Slayer. I reckon..." The "Hiemon" hissed.

"I do agree. But it's hard to tell..." Then the familiar footsteps of my mom tapped in the distance, increasing in volume. "Alyssa?"

"Looks like our time is cur short..." The two beings resumed their previous positions. "If your interested, please do come back. It gets awfully boring waiting for hundreds of years for a zombie or Zombie Slayer to come walkin' past."

I swallowed, my face pale.

"Oh, the names' Rem by the way. And I know how curious humans can get." Rem cocked his head and chuckled and then the two demonic beings resumed their deadly game...


	2. Chapter 1

**|Chapter One|**

My eyes snapped open to at my lavender ceiling, shaded by darkness. My breath was rapped and my entire body was damp with sweat.

Ha! It was just a dream, I knew it! I thought joyfully, my head sinking further into my soft pillow. Oh thank God!

What ever my mind was doing up there... I didn't want to know. I bet the Mexican food I ate last night provoked it.

There was a loud knock at my door that startled me. The door cracked open and my sisters face peeked in. She has a round face, a delicate nose, and freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose, and wide, chocolate brown eyes.

"Hey, you need to get up." She said. I rolled over to my side and stole a glance at my extremely bright blue, digital clock across from me.

9:27

"Fine." I groaned. My sister disappeared out my door and I reached for my glasses lying on my nightstand.

Meow!

I spun to see my old, fat, fluffy, tabby cat named Zoey plop down beside me. Normally, she would sleep with me at night. Mainly because it was too cold outside but frankly, she doesn't like anyone else's room... I stroked her from her head to tail. "Hello, Zoey." I cooed in a high pitch voice. She meowed a response.

I slipped on my glasses and stood up.

The room was rather small compared to every other room in our house but I liked it that way. My bed was a queen-size and probably the most comfortable. I had a desk across from my bed, where I typically did my homework. And I had a dresser, two doors, one leading to my bathroom, and the other leading to my closet. Compared to my room, my closet is giant. The biggest in our house. But I didn't have that many possessions that needs a large closet. I was given a choice so I went with the flow. My walls are a pale lavender and the overall style of my room is quaint, farm-like. My walls were filled with posters of my favourite bands, and drawing I had drawn. I also had a small book shelf located in the far left corner of my room. It's literally overflowing with paperback novels and some hard backs I bought because I wasn't patient enough to wait for the paperback to come out.

That particular dream was scattered because I was falling in and out of sleep. I rubbed my legs nervously, which were awfully sore from Athletics on Friday. It's school's inferno inside a inferno.

I scurried to my bathroom clumsily and gazed at myself in the mirror. My wavy brown hair was matted and out of it's proper style, dark brown eyes curtained by long, black eyelashes, and a single freckle on my cheek. My face is round and I have a strong jaw. My eyes are the perfect shape and my nose just in the right position on my face...

I'm stunning to some... but to my likings, I looked like a horror at the moment.

I reached for my pink brush to attempt at taming my insane hair when I grabbed something else. I screamed and threw it once I realized what it was. Adrenaline spiked through my veins and my heart sped up, beating rapidly in my chest.

A pasty, white bone rolled off my counter and clattered to the tiled floor. I cupped my hands over my mouth.

"Oh my God." I whispered, heavily breathing.

I heard a staccato of footsteps pound up the stairs. "Alyssa?" came my mom's voice.

I hesitant a moment before making a hasty decision. I snatched the bone from the floor, darted from my bathroom, and shoved it under my mattress. The door swung open and I spun around.

"Alyssa! What's wrong?" My dad demanded as they burst into my room.

"Oh." I gasped. I needed a believable excuse. "Sorry, it was a spider."

Both my mom and dad relaxed physically and sighed in relief. "Oh, that's okay. Where did it go?" My mom asked.

It was believable, I truly hated spiders...

"Oh, I-I don't know." I lied, stammering a bit.

"Oh well." My mom paused for a brief moment. "Get dress. We need to go to Wal-Mart again... We got the wrong filter. Then we'll go out to eat. Okay?"

I nodded and forced a smile. My parents smiled in returned and exited my room, leaving me in utter bewilderment. I closed my eyes, prayed, and reached under my mattress to retrieve the bone. When my fingers brushed up against it, I snatched it.

I clutched it tight in my fist and gritted my teeth.

This can't be some crazy coincidence! Maybe it is real. Honestly, what are the odds of finding a bone in my bathroom after seeing two... things playing a game with bones in it! I thought suddenly more angry than scared.

As cliche as it sounded, I was going back to the store and was going to find out what exactly was going on.

"And here we are again..." My mom chuckled and backed into a parking space at Wal-Mart. I chuckled also.

We stepped out of the car and headed towards the entrance, avoiding traffic.

"Are you sure you got the right one this time?" I questioned, glancing at my mom, grinning.

"Yes! I'm very sure. I know the exact one!" My mom told matter-of-factly.

"Good, because I don't want to spend 40 minutes here again. 10 shopping. 30 checking out." I laughed and so did my mom.

We entered Wal-Mart greeted by an elderly woman. We politely greeted back.

I checked the bone in my over-the-shoulder bag and a smile creased my lips.

I'm gonna figure this out, once and for all. Also checking if it was actually real. Of course it was real, why else would I be planning to do this. And there is absolutely no reason for an innocent A-B student to have a bone in her bathroom! I thought.

"Hey mom." I started.

"Yes?" My mom returned pushing the chart down the cereal aisle.

"I saw this pretty soap yesterday. Can I go look at it again?" I inquired.

"Yeah sure. Go ahead." My mom gestured towards the general area and I hurried off.

As I was approaching the soap aisle, my stomach fluttered with anxiety and excitement. And I slowly rounded the corner and-

Clack-Clack-Clank!

Rem and Hiemon were playing the same game but they were in opposite positions than they were last night.

A sinister smile ceased me. I shoved my hand in my over-the-shoulder bag and grasped the bone like a knife.

Rem and Hiemon finally took notice of my causally, standing there glaring at them.

Rem flexed with pleasure and stood up. "Aha. I knew you would nibble. How are you doing?" He asked politely.

My eyes narrowed into small slits and I hissed, "Is this some joke?"

Rem was drawn aback, baffled. "A..." He peered over his shoulder at Hiemon, who was stood up to full height. "Joke? Uh...no."

"Oh really?" My eyebrows arched defiantly. "Then what the heck was this doing in my bathroom?" I yanked out the bone and tossed it at him. It skid across the floor and nuzzled up against Rem's foot. Rem bent down, seized the bone, and examined it, closely. "Oh-ah! That's where it went." Rem grinned at me and stood up. "Thank you for returning-"

"Why did I have it?" I demanded.

"I don't know. I think you might have picked it up by mistake." Rem's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"Ha, yeah right. You obviously wanted me to have it." I said through clenched teeth.

"Do you want it back, love?" Rem extended his arm with a sickening pop, the bone resting in his palm, invitingly.

"No!" I declined.

Rem drew back his hand and dropped the bone into the miscellaneous assortment of items piled in a heap on the floor.

"Are you interested?" Rem questioned lightly, folding his arms over his chest.

My eyebrows pulled together. "What?" I had returned back to my innocent-Alyssa personality. A girl can be many persons at once.

"You apparently came here not only to return that back to me..." Rem gestured with a slender finger at the heap. "But because your natural curiosity possessed you to come back. Like I had already said." He shrugged. "I know how curious you humans can get."

Rem had a frighteningly good point. That was all true, I just didn't want to admit it... not even to myself.

I mirrored Rem's stance as a form of mocking him and replied, "Or maybe I had to come back because we got the wrong filter..."

Rem sagged, his long arms hanging. "Regardless, you wouldn't have come to this aisle if you weren't curious. Are-you-interested?" He repeated with more meaning.

"Yeah, I am." I blurted out without thinking twice.

"In that case..." Rem chuckled, lunged forward at a blinding speed, and touched my wrist lightly.

I recoiled. "What'd you do that for?" I shrieked.

Then my wrist began to burn fiercely. I opened my mouth to cry out but Rem appeared behind me and clasped his hand over my mouth. his rough, bonny palm felt uncomfortable rubbing against my lips.

"Don't make a sound. Remember, others can here you. Right now, you appear to be talking to thin air. Think twice about it. It doesn't really hurt." Rem whispered into my ear. A shiver shot down my spine.

He was right. A numbing sensation spread through my wrist and I finally managed to bring it into view.

Black ink etched across my skin to make a tattoo-like bracelet with an elegant but demonic design.

"What did you do to me!" I cried in a low voice. I sprung out of his grasp and shoved him away. He barely staggered back. "Don't touch me!" I snarled, nursing my wrist.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Rem. I am a Zombie Hoarder and this." -Hiemon faded into view beside Rem- "is my assistant, Hiemon. He is also a Zombie Hoarder. And also let me officially say... Welcome to the Zombie Riddening Team. ZRT for short. And we," -Rem extended his arms- "Are, technically, your 'master' for the time being. You are a Zombie Slayer. Welcome."

My jaw fell open and I wore a hopeless expression. "What? No-no! I didn't want this!" I held up my wrist.

"You said you were interested." Rem reasoned.

"I know. But that doesn't automatically mean I want to join you." I protested.

Rem shrugged. "Too late. Your bond to me until I can trust you further; or the job is done."

"What job?" I snapped, with high acidity.

"Here, I'll explain this to you in one, whole, big package. Okay?"

I just stared a him so he continued.

"Zombie Hoarders all do the same duty; but with different intentions. The 'good' Zombie Hoarders herd the zombies and contain them so they don't do any more damage to your world. But the 'bad' Zombie Hoarders herd the zombies to create massive armies to dominate worlds. We are 'good' Zombie Hoarders, by the way-"

"Why do you look so demonic then?" I questioned.

"Herding zombies is a risky and life-changing duty.

"The 'bad' Zombie Hoarders find a Zombie Seeker as their trainee. They seek out zombies and the Zombie Hoarders herd them and they all correspond.

"The 'good' Zombie Hoarders, like us, find Zombie Slayers to slay zombies before the Zombie Seekers find them. We're the good guy, basically.

"But a Zombie Slayer or Seeker is practically helpless without a Zombie Hoarder. The Zombie Hoarders are the ones that do most of the work but it make sense in the end. The more powerful and skilled the Zombie Hoarder is, the more privileges and abilities the Zombie Seekers and Slayers have.

"Zombie Hoarders on their own aren't helpless but most of the time; lost. Without a human Zombie Seeker or Slayer, finding zombies is a lot harder." Rem finally took a breath. "And our job is to find those pesky zombies before Zombie Seekers do. Over the last hundred years, there has been an enormous break out number... The ZRT isn't really sure why but the 'good' Zombie Hoarders took action. It's complex but simple."

My right eye twitched as I blinked couple of times. And all I could utter was...

"Wow."

"Indeed, wow." Rem agreed with a silent exhale.

"Alyssa?" My mom was standing at the mouth of the aisle. Fear stroke through me as she walked right through Rem and Hiemon.

"She can't see or hear us, remember? You need to bare that in mind every time you talk to us." Rem said assuringly.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked, not seeing Rem and Hiemon.

"No one. I was just astonished by the price of this." I snatched a random bottle of shampoo from the shelf and offered it out. She took it and observed it.

"Oh, do you want it?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go. I got the right one for sure." My mom shook an orange box in her hand; it's contents rattled. "And then we'll get something to eat, okay?"

"Sure." I affirmed with an innocent smile.

And as my mom and I exited the soap aisle, Rem hovered over me like an annoying shadow...


	3. Chapter 2

"Why are you following me?" I questioned, my lips barely moving.

"I bound to you. I have to follow you. It's not like I had a choice..." Rem told me.

"Oh, you had a choice..." I grumbled, sarcastically.

"You said you were interested!" Rem repeated, throwing his hands up.

We were just walking out of Wal-Mart, when I finally gathered the courage to say something to Rem. Of course, it bursts into an argument...

"That doesn't mean I wanted to join you." I threw at him with a sharp glance.

"Same difference. You can complain all you want. You can't change what happened! Neither can I! Once your bound to me, you can't get... un-bound... You have to stay bound to me until our job is done or I trust you enough." Rem explained irritatedly.

"Don't you dare explain to me the whole 'job' thing again." I snapped, mumbling.

This is hard. I can't let my voice get louder than a whisper or someone'll think I'm crazy. Ugh. This is harder than I thought. I thought.

"Is there some why I can talk to you that doesn't draw attention?" I questioned in a hushed voice.

My mom and I got into the car and she started the engine. Rem walked through the car door and sat down behind me.

"At this point in time, no." Rem declined, with a rather loud voice. "I can establish a mental communication after you contain or slay five zombies. I'll do the talking so that you don't get any attention from your mom.

"Okay, this little 'job' is almost like a game but there is no entertainment. If you do the requirements you unlock a new ability. It sounds awfully strange but its true. And let me just say this to you now. I am a very powerful Zombie Hoarder. Not trying to brag or anything but it's true Thus, the abilities you could possess are practically endless. The only disadvantage is to me. I'm kind of... lending some of my power to you so I'll come-by as weak. But that also depends on how much power the ability takes up.

"The mental communication, honestly, doesn't take up much. That's how most Zombie Hoarders and Zombie Slayers talk. Talking physically is way too risky. Plus, it makes us look like total newbies. You are a beginner after all." Rem explained.

"Beginner?" I echoed quizzically.

"Oh yes!" Rem cried. "You have a lot to learn about slaying zombies and containing them... Ugh." Rem rested his head in his palm. "This is going to take forever."

"Where do you want to eat, Alyssa?" My mom inquired, barely taking her attention off the road.

"Oh, I don't know. What sounds good?" I replied. Rem sat back and pulled his legs up and folded them. He probably assumed that he would be there a while and wanted to get comfortable.

"How about Cathy's Cafe?" My mom reasoned with a grin.

"Yeah! Sure." I agreed managing a smile myself.

Cathy's Cafe was a quaint, old cafe in the downtown area of our city. It's been here for ages, I reckon. And possibly haunted, I've heard numerous stories but never really experienced anything. But their food is excellent, heart-warming, and overall comfort food. The cafe is owned by an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, they're a nice couple and my parents happen to be fairly good friends with them.

Rem was quiet most of the way to Cathy's Cafe, which surprised me. I hoped he wasn't scheming to do some out of the ordinary... Like pull off a stunt at the Cafe.

My mom pulled into Cathy's Cafe and Rem stood up and walked through the car door again.

The cafe was in the middle of absolutely no where. It was built next to a rushing river, surrounded by an over-abundance of tall, cumbersome pines, and the cafe itself was astonishing.

It had clean, white shingles, a black roof with a chimney puffing smoke, a maroon door, lace-curtained windows, and small flower boxes with lush, gold poppies blossoming merrily.

It seemed too much like a fantasy to be real.

My mom and I strode up to the door with a causal pace. Rem was standing there, his gaze on me. (I was only assuming that) I looked up at him, a small shiver tickled down my spine. Rem let me pass him and soon fell behind me. He was silent when he walked, that was helpful. My mom pulled the latch and held it open for me. I stepped in, followed by the rest.

We had stepped into a rectangular foyer, the walls were a floral wallpaper, the floor was a tan carpet and to our left, there was a young woman with long, ebony hair cascading down her shoulders was hugging a clipboard to her chest. She had a precious smile. I couldn't help on either.

Beyond the foyer was a large room, dark, chestnut wood paneling on the walls and floors. The small windows were curtained with a golden lace and there were many tables of many sizes and quantities scattered around the room. The room itself gave off a soft amber glow and oppressed a sense of comfort and ease. I relaxed my shoulder and took a deep exhale.

"Hello, and welcome to Cathy's Cafe." The young woman with black hair greeted, her eyes squinting from the smile she wore. "How many?"

"Two." My mom answered, too, smiling.

"Excellent." The woman snatched two menus from her stash. "Come. This way." She beckoned. The woman lead us into the room with tables and we weaved around them. Rem was still following, floating through the tables and people who were in his way. He made no attempt to out of their way. The woman turned, gestured with her extended hand to a small, circular table with two chairs. "Here is your table, and your waiter will come shortly."

"Thank you." I said.

The table was right next to the wall, which had a wide window. Outside, the sun was shining, bright rays of golden delight streamed in. We both sat down and Rem just stood next to me. He folded his arms over his chest and he swayed causally looking about.

The table was set up in a pleasant manner. There were two glass cups sitting on top of two granite coasters. They were filled with water and ice, which condensates all over the coaster. The silverware was set on top of two, hand-made silk napkins. And the center piece was a vase of light pink poppies, blooming widely.

"Nice place." Rem remarked.

I nodded in agreement.

"Oh, this is so nice." My mom exclaimed, overjoyed. "I really love this place. I can't imagine living without it."

"Yeah. You've taken me here since I was little..." I added.

I finally looked down at the black, leather menu in front of me. It had golden letters engraved into its cover: Cathy's Cafe.

I opened it and began to browse through the food items.

"Hey, Alyssa." Rem called tapping my shoulder. "There's another Zombie Slayer here."

My eyes widened and I quickly inhaled.

"What is it?" My mom asked, not looking up from her menu.

"Oh, it's just that... they have one of my favourite dishes." I lied.

"That's good." My mom told me and continued to browse.

"Where?" I mumbled.

"Other side of the place." Rem said.

I causally looked around, as if surveying the area. I didn't see anything that looked suspicious.

"I don't see anything." I whispered.

"Ugh." Rem's shoulder's collapsed. "Looks like he has a cloak." Rem sighed. "That's another ability. The Zombie Hoarder can cloak him or herself from other Zombie Hoarders. They can either choose to just cloak themselves or their Slayer or Seeker as well. Looks like he took the liberty of doing both. That would take a moderate amount of power to do. It becomes very useful if your a 'bad' Zombie Hoarder."

"Interesting." I murmured.

"Hello, I'm Kendall and I'm your server for today." I looked up from the menu.

There was a blonde haired, middle aged girl standing at the edge of our table with a pen and pad of paper. She had a soft face, small nose, and high cheek bones. She wore a white blouse, black pants, a waist pouch with restaurant essentials, and a silver plate on her right collar bone that read: Kendall Crimshaw.

"Hello." We greeted back politely.

"What can I get you?" She inquired getting her hand ready to write.

My mom looked at me with a blank expression. I assumed she wanted me to go first.

"Oh, uh, I'll have the Old-Fashioned Omelet, please." I requested.

"Alrighty. And what do you want on the side?" Kendall scrawled hastily across the pad.

"Fruit and bacon, please." I answered.

"Okay. And what can I get for you, ma'am?" Kendall turned to my mom.

"I'll have..." That's all I heard until Rem's chuckle drowned her voice.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, whispering.

"Nothing." Rem waved me away. "Nothing at all. It's an inside thing..." He chuckled again.

My eyebrows pulled together.

I cannot believe this is actually happening... This is... too... Oh, God, I don't know. Half of me wants to believe but the other half just wants to flip out. I knew if I did my mom would flip out and everyone else would flip out because I'm flipping out... That didn't make any sense... I argued mentally.

Surely, this was going to eventually get to me...

"Okay. We'll have it right now." Kendall departed and started towards the kitchen.

I desperately dug through my over-the-shoulder bag for a pencil and paper. My hand came across a crumbled up piece of notebook paper and a dull pencil.

"Yes..." I cheered, hushed.

I uncrumbled the piece of paper and saw that my proper heading was in the top left hand corner of the sheet.

Alyssa Miller

October 25

Life Science - 8

I shrugged scratched that out.

This was the only way I was going to hold a conversation with Rem without gathering attention. It was pathetic. Passing a note to someone who was standing right next to me.

I nudged Rem. "What?"

I tapped the piece of paper. Rem moved himself to where he was gazing right over my shoulder.

I wrote: Where is Hiemon?

"Hiemon?" Rem glanced over his shoulder and lipped something. "Uh..." He listened and then lipped something else. "Oh, he went off the find his own Slayer... We won't be seeing him for a while. No one knows how long that'll take." Rem told me.

I wrote: Why is he off finding his own? He is your assistant... Why does he need his own? Can't you... this might sound weird... Share me?

Rem chuckled. I knew that was coming. Then he said, "Because the last time someone did that, it was total chaos. There was all these rivalries and back-stabs between them and what not. So, the ZRT forbid anyone to do that because we didn't want a repeat. A Zombie Hoarder can only have one Slayer or Seeker. And Slayer or Seeker can only have one Hoarder."

I wrote: Well, there's a lot to this game. But you better get prepared for a tantrum when I get home.

"Why?" Rem asked.

I wrote: Because... This will get to me, I know it. And I need time to vent as some point. I'm burning inside... Be prepared. I'm just warning you. - Hey wait a sec... How did you know there was another Hoarder and Slayer here?

"Because..." Rem paused for a moment, a smile creasing his mouth. "Because I have powerful eyes."

I almost burst out laughing. I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing.

I wrote: Ha! You have powerful eyes? I didn't see that.

"Ha, very funny." Rem laughed humourlessly. "I probably have the most powerful eyes in the entire ZRT. Their just covered up. Doesn't matter. I can still see. I can see cloaked Hoarders, Seekers, and Slayers. It's a nice advantage I have. But you can't have eyes like mine. You have to... earn them." Rem hissed the word "earn".

I wrote: Earn? How?

"You seem interested. As if I'm going to say, you're not going to be able to get them any time soon, I can assure you that." Rem told me. I sighed.

Kendall came by, dropped off our food, and disappeared into the kitchen again.

I had probably eaten about half of my giant omelet, when a boy and his mom walked up.

"Jason?" I said in disbelief, a smile ceasing me.

"Hey, Alyssa." He waved. Jason had silky, black hair and vibrant green eyes, which were shaded by thin glasses. He had a perfect face as far as I was concerned. And I had a crush on him, so did he. And it all worked out fine. I jumped up and embraced him.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked, pulling away.

"Good, just got finished eating. About to go to my brother's football game." Jason returned with a grin. "How are you?"

"I'm good too." I remarked. I glanced at Rem who was staring at me gaping. "Just about to finish eating."

"Oh, sorry to intrude." Jason's mom said apologetically.

"Oh, it's okay." My mom shot back, with an innocent smile. "Don't worry about it."

"It was nice seeing you two." Jason's mom waved a good-bye as did Jason.

"See you at..."

My mind was drawn blank when the piercing and terrifying thought inched into my mind.

I have school tomorrow...

I smiled and waved goodbye. Could this possibly get ANY WORST?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"That's it!" I cried, throwing my hands up. "That-is-it!"  
Rem gave me perplexed look. "What?"  
"What do you mean what?" I snarled. I snapped up my wrist. "What is this?  
Now that I was in the nice privacy of my room and my mom and dad were bringing my sister to her Band practice, I could actually vent without anyone hearing.  
"It's the Riddening Seal." Rem replied with an annoyed, monotone voice.  
"Yeah." I nodded sarcastically. "It is. And I don't want it!" I waved my wrist.  
"Like I already said..." Rem said carefully. "You can't do anything, neither can I. I know you don't want to accept that, but its true! I_ know _you didn't _mean _to! But neither did I..." Rem's voice trailed off into silence. He bristled and didn't breath.  
I cocked my head. "What?" I uttered.  
"I might as well tell you about me..." Rem's shoulders sagged. He settled on onto my carpeted floor, his scythe resting against my wall. "Before you start judging me..."  
My eyes bulged. Was he seriously going to get soft?  
"I didn't want this either... I never wanted this. I was never like this before." Rem began, in a low, somber voice.  
Yeah, he was.  
"I was just like you." He jab his agile finger at me, not lifting his head. "Some go-happy human that didn't have a care in the world... Until I found my previous Zombie Hoarder; Cerberus. He taught me all I needed to know about zombies. How to contain them, how to slay them... everything." Rem's voice lowered into a whisper, which I had to strain to listen.  
"He was a _very _cruel man... He didn't have any sympathy towards me or anyone else. He never had a real life. Neither did I. I didn't know it, but he trained me as if he were training a Zombie Seeker... I didn't think I was bad or good, I didn't know what to think. It was so long ago.  
"I know you think that this is some stupid game that doesn't have any casualties or awards but it does. You could _die _doing this, its risky business, its _dangerous _business. But you could get so much out of it too. Not just the bad things..." Rem smiled but the moment of his smile didn't last long. It slowly faded to a mellow frown. "Cerberus did some very violent things to me that I would rather not mention. He transformed me into his own weapon. I hadn't realized it until it was too late. He abused me, he abused my presence, he _used _me to get what he wanted. I'm not sure if he ever did get what he wanted but I cut him off."  
"What'd you do?" I whispered, questioningly.  
Rem's head slowly lifted up. "I killed him." Rem's lips barely moved.  
My stomach grew cold and my throat dry.  
"It was the only thing I could have done. I had no other choice. If you were me, you would have done the same thing. I couldn't bare to live knowing that I was being taught evil... being taught to kill others. I was _used._" Rem shook his head. "I still can't get over that. And I thought of him as my father figure. Talk about backstabbing. After I killed him, I knew I would have ZRT agents on my tail so I ran. I didn't know where, but I ran. I changed my identity, my name, my appearence, everything."  
"Who did you use to be?" I asked quietly.  
"I don't want to answer that question..." Rem denied.  
"How come?" I snapped.  
"You wouldn't know, and you won't care." Rem snapped back.  
"You can't just assume that..." I told him, softly.  
"Oh. I can already tell this is going to be interesting." Rem sighed, heavily and stood up. He approached me. "I can do something about that seal." He gestured at my wrist. I glanced down at it. "I was just lying to you that I couldn't because you just seemed like you could handle it. Well, I was wrong. If you don't want this, I can change it just like that." He snapped his fingers. I didn't know what to say, I was speechless.  
"Obviously, you don't want it." Rem lightly took my wrist and touched it with his index and middle finger. His touch was cold and smooth. "I understand. I'll just go find someone else who _will _understand. And _will _handle this."  
"What?" I squeaked.  
"You heard me." Rem hissed, silencing me.  
"Nice meeting you, Alyssa." Rem snatched his sycthe from the wall.  
"Wait! Rem!" I shouted jumping after him.  
Rem didn't take any notice to me. He simply walked through my bedroom wall, saying, "Good Tidenings." And disappeared.  
I ran up to the wall and felt it. _What am I doing? _I questioned myself. I pounded my fist on the wall. _I'm so stupid. I... I... You're speechless, stop rambling. _I slammed my forehead to the wall and slid down. I hugged my knees and fell deep in muse.  
_I can't believe he's gone. Why was I so determined to prove him wrong? God, the saying, 'You never know how much you miss something until its gone...' really comes into play here. What am I talking about? I've known that loon for two days! Two!  
_I stood up with realization. "Maybe I do want this." I whispered, feeling the wall again.  
"What'd you do?" The familiar, rough voice that belonged to Hiemon growled. I spun around. Heimon was standing their on two legs, fur spiked up in an irregular fashion.  
"Huh?" I mumbled, my face blank.  
"Huh? What'd you do?" Heimon repeated more meanigful.  
"To who?" I asked.  
"To Rem!" Hiemon snarled. "I've never seen him that somber since I found him. You must have really done something to make him sad."  
"I-I didn't mean to..." I breathed, my eyes burning slightly.  
"Oh, don't give me _that _excuse. That's what I always get from you_ humans_." Hiemon spat the word. " 'I didn't mean to!' 'It was just a mistake'. Normally, I would let this one pass but you've got a sick mind. You can't take this seriously, we move on. There's no use trying. Rem's already tried. You know what he told me the other day?"  
I didn't dare say anything.  
"He said that he felt good about you, that you would make up for his mistakes. Do you know how much of a let down that is to him!" Hiemon roared.  
"I know! Stop yelling at me! I didn't know! If I would have known about his past before hand I wouldn't have tried to hard to get away!" My vision was beginning to blurr with tears.  
"He told you." Heimon's jaw hanging open, he shook his, his face written with astonishment_. _"He told you? He must have had a lot of trust and faith in you to tell you that. He hasn't told anyone that besides a few."  
"Would you stop making me feel worse! I DIDN'T KNOW!" I screamed tears rolling down my cheeks.  
"I didn't know!" Hiemon mocked.  
"STOP! If you're just going to make me feel worse, why don't be a little helpful and tell me what I could do to make it better!" I wept.  
Hiemon fell silent. I managed to bring my head up to look at him, a smile had ceased him.  
"Why are you smiling?" I demanded.  
"I have the perfect way to make it better..." Hiemon purred.  
"Really?" I sniffed.  
"Yeah." Hiemon was lost in his thoughts for a moment before gasping. "That's perfect. He'll be so pleased!"  
"Would you mind telling me..." I reasoned, irritated.  
"There's a Zombie Seeker that Rem's been mentioning for the past decade that is apparently the one that's been causing a major amount of trouble on a catastrophic scale. He isn't sure if he has a Zombie Hoarder or not, but he's been plotting to find some way to destroy him but he needed a Zombie Slayer of his own to do so." Hiemon explained.  
"Don't tell me... You want me to kill him." I panted.  
"Precisely. I know that seems like an awful lot to take on, but I'll bind you to me for the time being so you're not powerless." Hiemon got onto all fours and trotted over to me. Even though he was on all fours, he was still just a notch smaller than me. He dressed his paw-like hand on my wrist and a Seal etched across my skin. It didn't burn or numb at all. His Seal was a little bit different from Rem's, his had more a blocky design than Rem's.  
"We should do it as soon as possible." Hiemon reckoned.  
"I'll do it whenever..." I muttered, examining my wrist. "How powerful... is this Seeker exactly."  
"I'm reluctant to say this but, very. He's almost as powerful as Rem. And Rem _is _very powerful." Hiemon replied.  
I swore under my breath. "What abilities does he have?"  
"I'm not sure, but he's got a massive army. But the advantage we have is they aren't too bright. Most zombies are smarter than they appear. But his... particuarly are dumb. They're dumb, and there is a lot of 'em. What makes him powerful is that he's fast and he has a massive army. I can almost manipulate time, I'm on the verge of it."  
"How are you going to be able to earn that?"  
"I'll have to slay or contain some more zombies."  
"I have school tomorrow. I'll be gone pratically all day, up until about four."  
"It won't take me long to find the zombies. I only need a few."  
"You do that while I'm at school. Then once you've achieved it, come and get me. I'll think about an excuse."  
"Sounds good. You sure you want to do this."  
"Of course." _  
What ever I can do to make it up to Rem... I didn't sound like myself. I didn't know what possessed me... But, something about this just felt... right..._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four  
**_By: Veneratio Proeliator _

_Ring! _  
School had officially started and I had seen no signs of Hiemon. He had come to me early this morning, around five o'clock, and told me that he was off. Now that it was eight, I expected to be back by now.  
_How long does it take to hunt down zombies? I'm sure this city is crawling with them... _I thought.  
"... And that's just what I think." My friend, Adrianna, concluded as she settled into a comfortable position at her desk. My eyes slid up from the massive book I was reading and rested on her.  
Adrianna has a round face, deep, hazel eyes, and matted black hair that rested lightly on her shoulders. She wore a plain, white t-shirt, jeans, and some tennis shoes. She had been my best friend since a while back.  
"Cool." A smile spread across my face.  
Our History teacher, Ms. Taylor, hobbled from her desk to her wooden podium positioned at the front of the mass of students seated in five rows. A hushed silence descended upon us. I slammed my book shut and neatly slid it to the corner of my desk.  
Ms. Taylor is a round-stomached, stout woman in her early fifties. She has curly gray hair with streaks of pale brown. Her eyes are a deep chocolate and are framed with wide-brimmed glasses. She has baggy skin and practically everyone's worst nightmare. As long as you paid attention, did the work, passed the tests, and behaved in class... you were practically her pet. I'm one of her so-called "pets". I honestly don't like be referred to as a pet, really. But I'm one of the good people in our school.  
"Everyone get out your notes from last class and prepare to complete them." Ms. Taylor commanded. Immediately, the room was filled with the shuffling of papers and the slapping of binders hitting the tilted floor.  
"Aw, crap..." Adrianna muttered.

I snatched them from under my book, placed them in front of me, and prepared a pen.

"Notes... notes... notes..." Adrianna muttered flipping through her over-flowing, blue, plaid binder. "I don't think I have them."  
"Just write them down on a piece of paper for now." I whispered.

Adrianna nodded, pulled out a sheet of paper, and threw her binder into the small metal basket under her chair.

Adrianna sat to my right. And in front of me was a boy with a red basketball jersey on. He has bright blue eyes, white skin, and a thin buzz cut of bleach blonde hair. He didn't talk much and had a mouth full of braces.

Behind me was positively the most annoying and obnoxious girl in our entire school district. She has a loud, irritating laugh and she's not funny, she's _rude. _She totally disrespects the teachers and has bullied me in last semester. I didn't intend ever to show any acknowledgment to her. But since she was behind me... I didn't have a choice. She was either picking at my hair or making people laugh around me. She has long, straight blonde hair, shaggy bangs, a bright yellow t-shirt filled with smiley faces, jeans, flip-flops, and the darkest black eyes you will ever see. They aren't so dark at first but once they're glaring at you; they are _blacker than black. _

And her name was Brianna.

Brianna began a soft giggle from behind me that seemed to be right up into my ear. My lips tightened and I tried to pay as much attention to the notes as I could muster.  
"The American Revolution started in..." That was all I heard until Hiemon trotted right through our class room door. Adrenaline twisted in my stomach but a bath of relief washed over me when I remembered no one else could see him. He paid no attention to the fact that I was in a public place and trotted up to me. I tried to keep my eyes straight and on the white board but Hiemon sat on his haunches beside my desk.  
"The job is done, Alyssa." Hiemon purred loudly.

I glanced around. No one made any signs that they had heard him.  
"Stand up." I ordered between my lips.  
Hiemon obeyed. I whipped out a sheet of paper. It was pathetic but it was the only way for me to talk without creating a scene. I hated it, it was stupid, but it was the only way.

Then I scrawled onto the paper: _I have to talk to you like this so I don't get any attention. _

"Oh okay." Hiemon affirmed looking forward at the teacher. "Is this how you learn? Sitting in a room with a fat, old lady?"  
I almost laughed but bit down on my lip to trap it. I wrote: _Yep, it sucks but it the way we've been doing it for hundreds of years. _  
"That's incredible. You humans do many strange things. But I've achieved the Time Travel ability." Hiemon reported.

I wrote: _Is that good or bad? _

"Good." Hiemon growled. "That also reminds me." Hiemon fell onto all fours and nuzzled out a black book from his fur. He carefully slipped it into his maw and delicately placed it on my desk. "Here." He purred.

I glanced around to see if anyone was staring. No one was.

The black book was hard leather, very thick with golden edges, and titleless.

I wrote: _What is this? _

"It's The Zombie Manual." Hiemon told me.

My eye brows pulled together and a curious expression washed over my face. I wrote: _What's it for? _

"It has everything you need to know about this." Hiemon extended his arms. "What you're doing and –" Hiemon stopped in mid sentence and his eyes bulged and his ears snapped up.

"What is it?" I mumbled.

Hiemon inhaled deeply and threw his nose high into the air. "A zombie..." Hiemon growled, physically tensing. "I can smell him..." Then Hiemon added with a glance up at me. "Say 'Reverto ut Vinco' if you need me."

Hiemon spun around, broke into a run, and vanished through glass window behind me. I almost gasped but kept it in.

"What's this?" Brianna hummed and snatched the note from my desk. I squeaked and attempted to snatch it back. Brianna smiled and her eyes scanned the note.

"How were you talking to?" Brianna hissed.

I made a grab for it but Brianna moved it out of my reach. "Give it back." I demanded.

"Ladies? Is that a note?" Ms. Taylor snarled, her fists balled up.

The entire class had their gaze on me. I could feel my face redden with embarrassment.

"Yes!" Brianna cried, jumping up.

"Oh, I love notes." Ms. Taylor laughed sinisterly. "Brianna, why don't you come up to the class and read it?"

My stomach grew cold and my eyes widened. "Wh-what?" I stuttered.

Brianna sauntered to the front of the class and read the note aloud. I sunk low into my chair. _Crap. _I thought, my heart thundering in my chest and my face red with embarrassment.

" 'I have to talk to you like this so I don't get any attention. Yep, it sucks but it the way we've been doing it for hundreds of years. Is that good or bad? What is this? What's it for?' " Brianna took a breath and looked into the mass of students. A bewildered yammer hummed through them.

Relief flooded me. _Good, they don't understand it. _

Adrianna gave me the, 'Did-you-take-your-meds' look.

I wanted out of here. I wouldn't be able to handle the questioning, which I knew was coming. Ms. Taylor turned to face me slowly and quite puzzled.

"Reverto ut Vinco." I whispered, closing my eyes.

A numbing warmth spread through my legs and arms and then met at my torso and burned with great intensity. I opened my mouth to yelp but the breath was knocked right out of my lungs.

A clamour of noises met my ear drum. First it was the soft chirping of birds then the grumbling of... something. It was a mix of a groan, moan, growl, and snarl. I lifted my head and spit the contents that were shoved into my mouth. Then, I opened my eyes.

I was suddenly in the school's garden. There was a trickling fountain beside me that flowed into a jade pond with bright, green lilypads floating on the surface. Blossoming flowers of pale pinks and yellows sprouted from the lilypads. I was sitting on my knees on a lush, green blanket of grass. And all around me were the blooming bushes of white roses, their delicate fragrance was just lovely.

The contents I had spit out was the grass and a small pact was uprooted. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and continued to spit the grass from my mouth.

_Did that teleport me? _I pondered, pushing myself up. My body ached terribly as I did so. _What did that do? What did that mean? _Questions streamed through my conscience until a frightening roar echoed through the garden. I jumped and spun toward the direction of the noise.  
There was a rocky pathway that led to a white-painted wood archway with a green vine weaved through it. And beyond that archway was the path and the asphalt.

I slowly crept along the rocky pathway, the tiny rocks crunching under my shoes. The silence pounded in my ears. _I know something going to pop out. I know it! _I thought fearfully. _It's just like a horror movie. Something will pop out and scare the crap outta me. I know it! _

I inched through the archway, weary of what I was passing and was immobilized in my tracks when I got a complete view of the asphalt.

There, standing in a aggressive stance, was Hiemon. His hair bristled and standing on end, teeth barred, and a malicious growl ripping through his throat. He was deliberately circling a zombie, I was sure.

The zombie had stringy hair jutting out of its scalp and a greenish tint to its skin. Its head was at an agonizingly freaky cock. Its jaw was hanging open out of alignment and some of the skin on its face was peeling off. Its eye sockets were filled with a sickening green glow that didn't seem to have any gaze at all.  
I felt my skin prickle as I felt my soul almost leap from my skin. All of the blood seemed to rush out of my body. My mouth snapped open and my eyes bulged.

Hiemon howled and lunged at the zombie. He snapped his jaws at the zombies who dodged with a frightening speed. The zombie moaned and groaned flailing its arms at Hiemon in defense. Hiemon knocked the zombie onto the ground with his back legs. The zombie thudded to the ground and landed in a sprawl. Hiemon drew up the greater height and twisted his body sideways, pulling his arm back as well. Inside his padded fist, a deep, purple ball of energy formed and he threw it down at the zombie.

The zombie went through a violent spasm before calming down and black chains appeared around its wrists. Hiemon sliced his claw into thin air a narrow, black void opened up. The sky was suddenly shaded as if the sun had blacked out and the clouds took up a purplish tint. Violet lightning cracked as Hiemon grabbed a hold of the zombie's neck. The zombie bit down hard into Hiemon's hand. Hiemon howled with agony and released hold of the zombie. Hiemon struggled back as the zombie rolled to its feet, its hands bound together.

Suddenly, a thrill of spirit crashed into me like a hand shoving me from behind. I broke into a sprint towards Hiemon, my feet tapping on the asphalt. "Hiemon!" I screamed.

"Alyssa." Hiemon bellowed. "Get back!"

Then the zombies' head snapped to face me and its gaze looked on my aimlessly. It slowly stood up, its head cocked. Hiemon, nursing his hand, leapt at the zombie.

The zombie effortlessly swatted Hiemon away, sending him soaring. He slammed into the school's outer wall. Hiemon stumbled up to his feet but collapsed.

The zombie had full attention on me and then it charged at with blinding speed. I spun back around and fled for my life, my heart thundering in my ears and my palms sweating. I pushed my legs until they ached. I could hear the zombie roaring closer and closer. I couldn't out run it. I needed something else. _If you're going to be a Slayer you better think of something. Show off that know-how you brag so much about. _I told myself, seriously.

I took a sharp turn and stole a glance over my shoulder. The zombie skid in the dirt and fell.

I needed to piece something together, and fast. Or I was cooked. I headed back to the garden. The only weapon I have at this point is rocks and... Water! I can drowned it.

My lungs burned and my breath was becoming shorter but I didn't dare slow down. The zombie was right on my tail when I jumped back into the garden. I dashed and hid in the bushes of roses, sucking in air. The zombie sped in but came to an abrupt halt and surveyed the garden. It groaned and sniffed the air.

_Can it smell me? _I wondered, forcing myself to control my breath, which was very difficult since I couldn't breath. It wobbled over to the pond and stared into it.

I hopped out of the bushes and shoved the zombie into the pond. It slammed its head onto a rock and fell in. It splashed up green water and thrashed its limbs. I grabbed a handful of the frail garment that the zombie wore and shoved its head into the water. The zombie snarled and roared attempting to bring its head up. Water splashed all over me and my hands became slick but I didn't loosing my grasp. I yanked its head up and knocked it into a rock. The zombie yelped, choking and spraying water. I submerged the zombies head again and repeatedly smashed its head on the bottom of the pond.

Finally, the zombie's body went limp and motionless. I released hold of the zombies garment, some of it wearing off and fell back onto my butt. I was splattered and soaked with water and the zombie lay motionless, submerged into the pond, its legs folded awkwardly over the edge.

I finally took and breath and wept.

I was so scared and so frightened and I killed a zombie.

Hiemon brushed past me, limping, to the zombie and stood to greater height. Hiemon towered over it, snatched its head and yanked. The zombies head snapped free from the neck and its body flipped over. I shrieked my hands, no my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Hiemon shrugged and grabbed the headless body and dragged it out of the garden.

"Get the head." Hiemon instructed as he passed.

"Are you crazy?" I squeaked, shivering as a cold breeze swept over me.

Hiemon halted. "Get-the-head." He repeated but with more meaning. He resumed his walk back to the asphalt.

I stood up and stole over to the zombies head reluctantly. My stomach churned when I saw it. It's hair was matted and soaked and some of the thin skin on its face was saggy and falling off. Its sockets were empty and its jaw hung open. I found the courage and snatched the head. I screamed and dashed past Hiemon and to the asphalt. I threw down the head and spazzed out. I wiped my hands on a nearby tree and screamed, "That's disgusting!"

Hiemon arched an eyebrow and tossed the body into the narrow void he created. He grabbed the head and tossed it in as well.  
"Propinquus." Hiemon commanded and the narrow void winked out the existence. Then, he turned to me.

I was dumbfounded and utterly speechless.

"Congratulations, you've slayed your first zombie." Hiemon congratulated solemnly.

"I'm an _beyond _questions..." I breathed.

"Go ahead." Hiemon offered, settling onto the ground. "Ask me."

"What does 'Reverto ut Vinco' mean?" I asked.

Hiemon began to lick his paw. "Vigoratus." Hiemon purred.

" 'Return to Master.' " Hiemon replied.

"What did that mean?" I snapped.

"Heal."

"What did 'Propinquus' mean?"

"Close" Hiemon seemed almost bored. "Doesn't this all sound familiar?"

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"You humans call that language Latin." Hiemon continued to lick his hand.

"Wait, you speak Latin?"

"Yes. We all do." Hiemon suddenly sunk his teeth into his hand.

"Ugh!" I shouted. "What are you doing!"

Then he began to suck and then spit some greenish-black fluid onto the asphalt.

"It's the only way. I can't let it get far into my bloodstream or it'll kill me." Hiemon looked up at my sympathetically.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You really need to read _The Zombie Manual_." Hiemon suggested getting up. "Don't tell me... you left it in the classroom didn't you?"

"Yeah..." I muttered, wrapping my arm around my body.

"I need to begin to train you." Hiemon told me and trotted off towards the opposite direction. "Nos vadum offendo tonight."

"What does that mean?" I demanded, trailing after him.

" 'We shall strike tonight'... " 


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five  
**_By: Veneratio Proeliator_

"Here." Hiemon said through a mouth full of cloth. "Put this on." He spat the contents from his mouth out and they landed at my feet. I gingerly plucked them from the grass and inspected them.  
It was a stretchy, tough, onyx leather body suit. It cut off at the ankles and neck. And there were narrow sleeves that looked impossible to squeeze through.

Hiemon arched an eyebrow. He must have seen the confusion written on my face. "It's... not going to bite you." Hiemon pointed out in an obvious, matter-of-factly tone.

I sighed lightly. "Fine. But what is it?" I inquired, referring to the clothing.  
"Slayer's Vestis. Loricatus. Protection." Hiemon replied.  
I looked at him blankly. He knew what I wanted.

Hiemon let out an explosive breath and then said, "It's Slayer's Garment. Armour."  
I nodded and my eyes fell onto leather bodysuit in my hands. "How do I put it on?"  
Hiemon gave me an odd look as he spun in a circle feeling the ground with his claws. "Just like you would put on those close your wearing now." Hiemon told me and settled on the ground in a comfortable position.  
I glanced down at my shirt and pants, which were drenched in water.

"Would you prefer a bush?" Hiemon chuckled.

I glared at him tight lipped and did just so. I scurried behind a bush and tree and quickly began to undress.

Hiemon had led me into the cluster of trees and stopped in a crisp, green clearing. It was spring and everything was coming back to life. Small carpets of bright yellow primroses sprouted out of now where and patched the barren, green fields. Spring was a beautiful time of the year.

There was no zipper in the back of the body suit, only a long row of threads that criss-crossed over each other. I got it as loose as it would manage and slipped it on, but kept my undergarments on for safe measure. I tied it back up as best I could and the neck was high and the threads tied tight seemed to choke me. My feet were bare and the leather suit cut off at my mid-calf. The sleeves stretched and my arms were able to fit in nicely. It reached to cuff my wrist and my hands were bare.

The bodysuit was so tightly fit and so close to my skin that it felt like a second skin. The way it moved with me. I didn't see leather at all.  
I stepped out from behind the bush and extended my arms. "How do I look?" I asked. Hiemon looked up and examined me closely.  
"You look lovely." Hiemon remarked and tossed something else at me. I bent down and picked them up. "Put those on as well. I'm sure you don't need to shield anything again behind the bush." Hiemon scoffed and buried his face into his paws.

They were metal, silver bucket boots and metal gloves. I nervously put them on.  
"You look charming!" Hiemon exclaimed standing up.  
"Really?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.  
"Of course." Hiemon gave me a curt nod.

"What's this all for?" I questioned shrugging my shoulders.

"Protection. And to channel your Navitas." Hiemon explained, trotting over to me.

"My what?"  
"Navitas. _Energy._" Hiemon translated with annoyance. "It's what I used to defend myself against that zombie. The magic I used to bind its hands and open that portal."  
"Energy?" I echoed.

"Yes. Every being that is physical and can be touched has energy within them. For some, it shows more than others. That energy enables you to see us and zombies. Zombies play with a certain field that a normal human being couldn't see. That's what we also do to defend ourselves or attack another with. It's very powerful and its all in the mind." Hiemon explained.

" 'In the mind'?" I asked.

"Yes." Hiemon bobbed his narrow head. "If you can imagine it, you can do it. Like, right now. I could move you without having any physical contact." Hiemon said with a dangerously low voice.

"Like the Force?" My geeky side was taking over for a moment.

Hiemon gave me an odd, puzzled look. He finally shook his head, slowly. "No." He declined awkwardly. "Let's get started and I'll come to that." He drew up to greater heights.  
"Let me demonstrate." He offered lightly. "All the energy is conducted from the mind. If you imagine something, it will happen. If you have enough energy to do so though." Hiemon paused and turned. "Here, this rock. I'm going to move it."

I rolled my eyes and slouched back. "Okay..." I said heavy with sarcasm. Hiemon threw me a slapping stare but concentrated deeply on the rock and slowly extended his arm. The rock quivered a moment and then, unbelievably, rose steadily.

My throat grew dry and my bulged eyes stared blankly at the floating rock, incomprehensive.

Hiemon glanced at me with a mug grin. "Told you. I imagined the rock levitating. Thus it happened. It's fairly simple but since you are a beginner, you'll have some side effects, headaches and nausea is the most common side effect among beginners. Also, I've given you the gloves because since you are a beginner, you can't channel your energy as easily as I can... So, you will need to channel it through an object.

"Literally, everything is your weapons. Use a stick, metal, and simple rock. Channel your energy and its it a weapon worth using. Depending on the object you obtain, the strength, range, and accuracy of the weapon varies.

"It has been known that humans have used rifles to destroy the zombies, but, lets be honest. They aren't as effective as dagger would be.

"I want you to try, since you do possess an excessive amount of energy this _might _be easy or hard... depending on the strength." Hiemon gestured his nose towards another rock that I would really consider a pebble. "Try it. Concentrate on the rock, imagine it levitating."

This was probably the craziest and most pathetic thing I did in my entire life. Sometimes I still wondered if this were real or not.

I felt the urge to extend my hand like in the movies but I kept my hand at my side. My skin on my forehead bunched as I concentrated hard. A gripping headache ripped through my skull and I stopped concentrating, clutching my forehead.

"Do it again." Hiemon urged, his gaze locked on the rock. "I didn't say this would be easy and pain free. It will only get easier as you go forth."

I drew in a breath and concentrated again.

This time I extended my hand this time, I had _no idea _why though.

The rock quivered and another headache crashed into me. I concentrated hardly until Hiemon chuckled.

I peeked out of a squinted eye lid and was overrun by excitement when I saw the rock _levitating _off the ground. It was only a couple of inches and the rock hung there suspended awkwardly but I did it.

I shrieked in joy and clapped my hands.

"That's only the beginning of things." Hiemon said and plopped onto his haunches. "Once you get more familiar with your energy abilities, you'll be able to do a lot more. That's why I recommend you read the Zombie Manual."

I continued playing with my powers, I was conscious of what I summoned. I was able to throw twigs and impale them into a tree trunk as a dangerously fast speed, they were deadly projectiles.

Hiemon was watching my thoughtfully as I joshed around with my new powers. _This can't be real. It feels too good to be real. _I thought happily.

That's when I remembered that today was a Monday and I needed to return to school before I gathered unwanted attention.

"Hiemon." I began and faced him, my whole face fell. "I need to get back to school... before the teachers start to wonder."

Hiemon nodded approvingly. "Very well. Say, 'Loricatus Verto'"

"What's it means?" I asked suspiciously.

Hiemon rolled his eyes and answered, " 'Armour Transform.' It will replace what your wearing with whatever your mind desires."

I thought for a moment. _I don't want to try anything stupid. _I pictured what I had been wearing before I had changed and whispered, "Loricatus Verto."

Nothing happened, until I looked down.

I had changed back to my clothes I had on early. "Cool." I remarked.

Hiemon chuckled and stood up. "I'll be around, Alyssa. I'm going to visit Rem. Wonder how the poor fellow is doing."

That instantly made me feel terrible, my stomach knotting.

"I'll scout about for any zombies and visit you frequently. Remember, just say 'Reverto ut Vinco' and you'll come to me." Hiemon broke off into the healthy, green foliage and disappeared in a shutter of branches.

The day went by fast. I was so glad Ms. Taylor didn't ask about me "teleporting" because that would be awfully hard to explain to her. Brianna hadn't said anything. All the acknowledgements I was given was an evil glare as we passed in the hallway in passing period. Adrianna didn't mention anything either.

Just a normal day, I was glorified when I finally came home.

I opened the front door as best I could, my arms full of my thick book and the Zombie Manual. I planned on reading that tonight before dinner.

I had emerged into the foyer where an archway of stone arched across the ceiling. To my left was the study and to my right was the dining room. Beyond the stone archway was our living room. Plasma Television hanging above the mantel, a couch, two arm chairs, and a bookshelf.

I shut the door behind me and eased off my shoes.

"Hi, mom." I greeted with an awkward wave.

She smiled and returned the greet. "How was your day, sweetie?"

Normal questioning. "Fine."

"Anything special happen?" She tried again.

"Nope." I walked into the mud room and dropped off my backpack and clutched the Zombie Manual in my hand and strode into the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.

"Did you learn anything?" She looked up from a simmering pot with a curious look. She must have seen the book my in hands.

"No." I replied quickly and started towards the stairs.

"What's the book?" She asked curiously. She tugged at it and pulled it away.

Defeat and terror shook me as I held back the urge to make a snatch for the book. She flipped through and scan the contents.

"Empty." She sighed and handed it back.

_It wasn't empty? _I thought in disbelief.

"Is it a journal?" She asked.

"Yes." I lied.

"Oh, well cool. What homework do you have?" She returned back to her pot and continued to stir.

I flipped through my book to see its pages full of writing. _Maybe she can't see it because she's not a Slayer or anything. _I reasoned. Hopefully that was right, I was going to ask Hiemon when he swung by for a visit.

"None. Finished it all." I told her and trotted up stairs.

_Finally. _I thought thankfully shutting my door. _Privacy. _

Hiemon strode through the closed door bipedally. "Hello, Alyssa." He greeted, his golden eyes seemed more golden and brilliant than they were last time I saw him.

"Hey, Hiemon." I said and hopped onto my bed getting into a comfortable position to read the Manual.

"Ah, I see you're endeavoring to read the Manual." Hiemon hissed with a snicker as he approached my bed.

"Yes. Might as well. It's kind of been bothering me all day." I admitted and flipped it open.

The first couple of manila pages were blank until I reached one with a small paragraph of text that I couldn't read. I squinted at the page trying to decode something. I flipped it up-side-down and sideways, every way I could think of but I still couldn't read it.

"What up with this?" I demanded holding it up.

"It's in Latin. Most of the Manual _is _in Latin. I suggest you study the language. Because if you do come in contact with any Hoarders, Slayers, or Seekers, they're more than likely going to speak Latin." Hiemon explained simply. "But." He slipped the book from my fingers and flipped through it with odd grace. "The particular part that I recommend you read is in English, thus, it will be easier on me and you." He handed me back the book.

I got comfortable and began to read:

_Section III Of the Zombie Manual: List of Abilities. There are a number of Abilities that can be bestowed upon a Hoarder, Slayer, or Seeker. Here is the list of the most common:_

Key: 

Given: The Zombie Hoarder has to have possessed the ability before his or hers' Zombie Seeker or Slayer can bestow them.  
Bestow: The Zombie Hoarder or Seeker, Slayer can hold these abilities, do initial requirement.

Normal eyes: The eyes/sight that is given when a Seeker or Slayer is first becoming one.

**Beginners:**

Transporting - _Normally bestowed to a Zombie Hoarder. Can be given to Seeker or Slayer. Description: This allows a Seeker or Slayer to transport between the Zombie Hoarder's Lair in the Underworld and the Human World. _

Accelerate Healing - _Normally bestowed to Seekers and Slayers. Can be bestowed to Hoarders. Description: This ability will allow you to increase your healing rate. _

Sonic Scream - _All can bestow. Description: A deadly scream, which is very fatal to zombies and humans a like. _

Summoning - _Normally bestowed to Seekers and Slayers. Can be bestowed to Hoarders: Description: A Seeker or Slayer can summon the help of his or hers' Hoarder or to others around them. Preferably humans. _

Seeing/Sensing Zombies - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Zombies, Seekers, Hoarders, and Slayer can cloak themselves and make them unseen to normal eyes. But with this ability, they are easily seen. _

**Medium:**

Power Negation - _Normally bestowed to Seekers and Slayers. Can be bestowed to Hoarders. Description: Able to cancel or negatitate other beings abilities. _

Superhuman Durability - _To Seekers and Slayers only. Description: The Seeker or Slayer can take on a massive amount of damage before actually dying. _

Empathy - _Normally to Seekers and Slayers. Can be bestowed to Hoarders. Description: Able to sense emotions and/or control the feelings and emotions of the ones present. _

Disintegration - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Able to disintegrate anything made of matter. _

Animation - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Able to make inanimate things come to life. _

**Experienced:**

Raising the Dead - _Can be bestowed to Hoarders and Seekers. Can be given to Slayers. Description: Can rise the dead, zombies. _

Mind Control - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Able to control, preferably human minds. This ability can be blocked by those who possess the ability of "Cloaking"._

Cloaking - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Can cloak themselves from normal eyes and also block their mind from any mental attacks. _

Reading Minds - _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Can read the thoughts of any human, zombie, Seeker, Slayer, or Hoarder. _

Time Manipulation - _Can be bestowed to Hoarders. Given to Seekers and Slayers. Description: Can morph, speed, slow, and stop the motion of time. _

Mediumship - _Can only be bestowed to Slayers and Seekers only. Description: Able to communicate with the dead. _

Invisibility – _Can be bestowed to all. Description: To blend into their environment. They are invisible to the HUMAN eye. Not any zombies eyes, or Hoarders, Seekers, or Slayers._

Darkness/Shadow Manipulation – _Can only be bestowed to Hoarders only. Description: Able to manipulate the darkness or shadows and command them to do the possessor's doings._

**Expert: **

Power Absorption – _Can be bestowed to all. Description: Able to absorb another's powers and use them against them. __.  
_Time Travel - _Can only be bestowed to Hoarders. Description: Able to travel through time. Past, present, and future.  
_Time Travel – _Bestowed to all. Description: Able to jump to and fro through time. Can venture to past, present, and future._

Possession – _Bestowed to all. Description: Able to control of another beings body. Zombie cannot be possess, for they are not living. _

Invulnerability - _Can only be bestowed to Hoarders. Description: Cannot be damaged by physical or mental attacks_

Immorality – _Bestowed to Hoarders only. Description: Does not have any age and lives forever until they are killed. _

I set down the book and stared/glared up at Hiemon who was nestled no my floor, apparently sleeping. His golden orbs snapped open and a smile stretched across his mouth.

"Impressive?" Hiemon growled.

"Very." I said rubbing my eyes. They were red and burned from staring at a page for too long.

I stood up and darted to the bathroom and washed off my makeup, which was smeared. I patted my face with a soft cloth. My door swung open, I almost had another heart attack but remembered who ever it was, they couldn't see Hiemon. I composed myself and peeked out of my bathroom.

It was Tabitha. My sister.

"Time to eat." She said lamely.

"Okay." I affirmed and closed my bathroom door. She disappeared down the hallway. I stroked Hiemon's head as he purred to me,

"We are going to strike tonight, Alyssa. Be prepared."

"I know." I told him easing the door shut. "I know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Six

Out of all the tests, all the scary rollercoaster rides, all the boys I've tried to ask out, I've never been this scared in my entire life. Words cannot describe how I felt.

But then, after my dinner had settle in my stomach, I headed off with Hiemon, climbing out my window. Hiemon reminded me of the weird Latin saying to transform my present clothes into my "suit".

"Now," He told me as we trotted through the night. "he is strong. You shall have to adapt or die."

"I could die!" I had shrieked.

"Yes." Hiemon bobbed his head, his voice so calm and smooth.

"You're not concerned or _anything_!" I almost shouted.

Hiemon warned me of my volume with a low growl. "No, of course not. I'm already use to it. You should become accustom to it as well. Now, be quiet."

Now, I think anyone sensible would have stop at that point, any girl of fourteen years of age would have stopped and said, "I don't want to die. I'm too young." And make a dramatic exit but I forced myself to keep walking.

I wanted to show to Rem that I was terribly sorry and this was the only way I could think of that would make him happy and it would also prove to him that I wasn't some... ignorant human girl. Despite the fact that that was probably true...

With a swollen pride, we arrived at this guy's little hide out. It was an old, abandoned warehouse that hadn't been used in years and was just down-right rickety.

"Why is it always old and abandoned. I bet it's haunted too." I whispered. This is low chorus of disturbing moans echoed from inside the warehouse. My pride sputtered like a deflating balloon. I swallowed, my eyes like a dear in the headlights.

Hiemon trotted forward, undaunted towards the entrance. He beckoned me to follow with a slight bob of his head.

"I'm not feeling so confident." I piped, chasing after him.

"Neither am I." Hiemon countered, snapping me a glance over his shoulder. He sighed. "Fighting will become a second nature to you soon enough. The only advice I can give you is to stay sharp and learn quickly. Do you remember what I've taught you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I made a rock float. So what?"

"Every object to you is your weapon, even something as insignificant as an insect. Feel the energy throbbing through you and force it through the object. It will reinforce itself." Hiemon told me, monotonously.

"That's easy for you to say." I puffed, folding my arms over my chest. "What do you feel?"

Hiemon sat on his haunches and closed his bright yellow eyes. He inhaled deeply and exhaled quickly. "I can feel the presence of at least a hundred zombies in there. Their signatures are very weak and two others." He cocked his head, his face wrinkling. "I wasn't expecting two and they are both considerably weak." His eyes snapped open. "Maybe this fight will be easier than I thought."

Hiemon drew up onto his hind legs and eased the large, metal doors open. He slipped through. I scurried after him, my heart thundering in my chest. No words I knew of could describe how _scared _I was.

The warehouse was ruined and smelled heavily of dust and decaying flesh. Before us was a massive horde of zombies huddled together, rising and falling in unison. Probably asleep. Beyond the horde was...

I could feel my face flush and then screw up with confusion and utter disgust. The smell of the zombies was rancid and stomach-churning. But I didn't completely know it was the smell that was making me feel sick. Beyond the horde was a platform that rose above the ground. It was circular and surrounded by steps leading up to it. In the middle, there was a couple on a cushioned couch in the midst of intense making-out-mode, tongues and all, _touching _and all.

Hiemon snorted, swooped over, snatched a metal pipe from the ground, and threw it at a stunning velocity towards them. Brilliant purple ribbons lanced around the pipe and gave it an ominous glow. It sliced precisely between the couple separately the two. The girl rolled over the top of the couch and disappeared behind it while the man slid off. He rolled onto his feet and swatted down in a tense defense stance.

The man's skin was a sagging grey and his clothes were tattered. His hair was falling out in patches and his irises were a bright green. He opened his mouth, revealing a mouth of jagged teeth and growled, "Hiemon..." He spotted me. I swallowed as his gaze pierced me. "I see you have a friend." His voice was heavy with an English accent. A smile stretched across his mouth, tearing at the corners.

The horde of zombies stirred slightly as Hiemon spoke. "Vigilo vestri os. Is isn't meus amicus. Is est meus Trucido." (Translation: Watch your tongue. This isn't my friend. She is my Slayer.) Hiemon barked.

The man's face fell. "Est is verum vestri?" (Is she truly yours?)

"Etiam, sic." (Yes)

"Ego sum non quoque fond of salutor. Quis addo vos hic?" (I am not too fond of visitors. What brings you here?"

"on't dico mihi vos can't instar is unus sicco. Ego have a Trucido me. vos repleo in ." (Don't tell me you can't figure this one out. I have a Slayer with me... you fill in the rest.)

The man snorted and shook his head with anticipation. "I see your point. She seems too weak and scared stiff! Look at her!"

Okay, my face might have looked like I was about to pee my pants... but I wasn't going to take this insulting.

"Look, I don't know... w-who you are but you I think we're doing everyone a favor." I shouted. The zombies stirred, a slow crescendo of sickening moans rumbled through the entire room.

The woman that had disappeared behind the shaggy couch, hopping up and perched herself on its peak. She expressed a long, ear-splitting screech arching her back.

That's when I recognized _who _is was! And I could hardly believe it.

Kennedy? Kassidy? Kenzy?

Kendall!

But now she wasn't as pretty as she was when I had saw her the earlier morning. She didn't have a soft face, it was patched with scars and a grey tint was taking over her once crème colored skin. Her face was contorted into a grimace and her limbs were hanging loosely in their sockets.

"Oh, that's nasty." I muttered, rubbing my ears which rang terribly.

As if on cue, the zombie's heads flipped up as one and their bright, ravenous yellow, green, and red eyes glowed like jewels. Of all races, genders, and ages they all screamed as one rattling the warehouse's foundation. And they were all beaming directly at Hiemon and I.

"Craaap!" I cried.

"Go!" Hiemon snapped and launched forward, gracefully into the horde of zombies whereas I was still immobilized.

_Weapon. Weapon. Weapon. _

I desperately scanned the ground, turning in circles searching for something to use for a decent weapon. Hiemon had landed in the midst of them and was taking them out by clusters while I was still scrambling for something to fight with.

The zombies staggered towards abnormally fast and I began to panic, spinning faster in circles. I couldn't believe it but there was nothing useful on the ground to use!

I finally snatched up a long pipe that was probably twice my size. It wobbled but I held it firmly with both hands. I collected my inner energy, which I barely felt and _pushed _it through the pipe through my hands. Suddenly the pipe was zapping with purple electricity. I steadied myself, half expecting the pipe to explode randomly.

I did some truly crazy. I made a pathetic mad-dash through the zombie ranks, using the electrified pipe like a jousting stick. Screaming a one note vocal, I swept my way through the zombie and never missing a step.

Hiemon was clinging to the ceiling of the warehouse as the zombies made a decaying ladder out of their fallen brethren to reach Hiemon, which turned out to be a mound of moving flesh and body parts.

"I have the woman!" Hiemon bellowed, swirling his "arm" and a translucent, purple whip appeared in his whip. He snapped his wrist and the whip barely missed the woman, whom evaded it elegantly. She shrieked and thrusted herself upward into the metal shafts in the ceiling. "Get the man! And don't let the zombie bite you!"

"I KIND OF ASSUMED THAT!" I screamed. The adrenaline was the only thing keeping me going, fear was shaking through me as I saw the man patiently waiting her me.

Anxiety exploded through me as I saw the purple aura around the pipe dulling. "Crap, crap, crap!"

I was exhausted, my legs ached and my entire ribcage was stabbing with pain. I stopped, feeling my feet heavy. But I couldn't catch my breath. The zombies were overwhelming, they surrounded me and about a foot of space was the only thing that separated me and an instant death.

They're mouths were wide open, gaping and the moldy gums were slick with saliva and some zombies didn't even _have _lower jaws; just mangled skin hanging from their ligaments.

I swept the pipe as best I could and striked down a couple of zombies but they stood right back up, like nothing had happened. Now they were inches away from me, their decaying fingers barely grazing me.

A few zombies, mouth gaping, eyes empty tried to pry the pipe from my hand. I tugged back and they wouldn't let go.

"Let go!" I shouted and jerked it backward and then forward.

A sickening wet sound made me stop. The pipe has sliced directly into the ribcage of at least five zombies. A zombie shisakabob? They were still moving, withering and splaying to break free.

With all the strength I could muster, an idea dawned to me. These zombies were heavy too! As best I could I swung the zombie shisakabob and cleared a path to the man.

I needed to get there so I decided to abandon the pipe and sprinted through the gap I had made. I headed towards him and one of the zombies on the shisakabob grasped my ankle.

I screeched and kicked its skull, once, twice... thrice! And it snapped free from the neck and rolled. I stumbled a moment before regaining my balance.

Barely reaching the man, I was directly in his glare when I felt my legs kicking air. Suddenly I was slammed onto the ground roughly and then tossed by an unseen force and crashed into the wall. I fell onto rigidity dining table, face first.

I moaned, the breath gone from my lungs and my entire body burned. Holy crap, and did that HURT!

I forced to my feet and slide off the table. My legs couldn't support me and I collapsed onto my knees. Get-up. I told myself.

The man was strutting for me and he brought his arm to extend towards me. I beat him to the punch. I snapped my hand up and I imagined the man floating, closing my eyes.

I peeked out of my eyes and saw the man doing small, flailing circles above the ground. He was upside down and I laughed. I lifted him higher with the angle of my arm and I played around with him.

With the snap of my wrist, he hit the floor, smacked into the ceiling, crashed into the wall and the ground again.

"Who's your daddy now!" I whooped.

I saw the woman land gracefully on the steps of the platform where the couch still was and I ran towards her and made a wide arc with my arms, swiping to the left.

The man and woman collided and spun, head-over-heels over each other.

I forced a hysterical laugh as I watched the mound of arms and legs, shift slightly as they shook off the pain. The zombies huddled around him, gazing curiously at them.

They were suddenly parted down the middle and an intense wave of energy shoved me backward. I tumbled over the couch and landed on my back. I tasted metal in my mouth.

I screamed and kicked the couch purely out of anger and the thing SHOT across the warehouse at a surprising speed. I sat up slowly, watching it fly and smashed into the woman and man, knocking them back to the ground. My mouth formed a perfect imitation of Jack Sparrow in the Third Pirates of the Caribbean movie when he watched his ship move by itself. The pinched upper lip and everything.

"Holy... crap." I whispered.

"Not the couch!" Hiemon scowled, still clinging to the ceiling.

I jumped up and rested my arms on my head. "What was I suppose to do?" I screamed up at him and my arms fell heavily to my side.

The ceiling shook and rattle, breaking free from it's weak bonds and collapsed, covering the zombies and man and woman in a thick layer of wreckage and dust.

I froze with utter shock and a shiver quaked through me – no, not a shiver, a SPASM.

"Did I do that?" I shrieked with a high-pitch voice full of disbelief.

"Yes." Hiemon growled, climbing over a fallen support beam. "You did and that was very impressive."

I felt happy with myself; I felt accomplished. But... how was I suppose to feel about this? Ready for me? Scared to death? Accomplished? I wasn't sure but I was in the shaky, giggly stage of battle.

I tittered in my spot, scanning the wreckage for any signs of movement. The ENTIRE ceiling had collapsed and it cleared a perfect view to the cloudy, starless night sky.

The giggles soon evaporated and cold terror enveloped me. I fell to my knees, my mouth hanging open and I panted, suddenly realizing how much I was aching.

And it intensified as I saw a tall, white figure dissolve into view just before the platform... and I knew who THAT was.

It was Rem. He approached me, striding to stand in front of me. His bitter gaze fell on top of me and he folded his arms over his bony chest.

"Alyssa." The words hissed between two thin lips.

"Y-yes?" I stammered, looking up at him utterly defeated. I looked hopeless too. I was caked in dust and soot. I bet I looked just absolutely STUNNING.

"What was that all about?" He asked with a hollow voice.

I wasn't sure what he was referring to. The roof? The couch? My actually being here? I opened my mouth to utter something but I didn't know what to say.

"She –" Hiemon began to say.

Rem threw up his hand for silence and continued to beam – or so I thought... down at me. His head never turned. "Silence, Hiemon. I want to hear it from Alyssa. What were you trying to do?"

I carefully worded my reply with a shaky voice. "I... ju-just wanted you back."

"Are you sure that's what you really wanted?" Rem snapped.

What? He didn't believe me?

"I-I don't know h-how much clearer I can be. I wanted you back." I whispered.

"Speak up." He growled.

"I just wanted you back! Okay! I felt bad about making you just disappear like that! I want to make it up to you so there! I killed him for you. You're welcome." All of the words spilled from my mouth but, evidently, I didn't regret any of them.

Rem stood there, not making a sound. He slowly raised me to my feet with a firm hold around my wrist. He gazed down at me – I think, even though he towered over me. "I appreciate your concern and attempt but I've made up my mind."

He turned around slowly and descended down the platform. Anger welled up inside me and I snatched up a stone and pegged Rem in the back of the head with it. "Don't you _dare_ do this to me!" I screamed at him. "Why are you such a stubborn, numb skull! If you won't give me a chance to prove myself that's YOUR problem but you have to give me a chance! I'm beginning to realize that maybe this is who I'm suppose to be. But... you're being such an idiot that you won't give me a chance."

Rem was stiff and tensed, immobilized in his spot. I left the uneasy, confined silence surround me and the words to sink in.

"If I allow you to have another chance..." He said deliberately, turning. "will you use it wisely."

"Yes." I breathed.

Hiemon was suddenly at my side and he glided his paw over the Riddening seal and it slowly faded from my skin. "She's all yours." Hiemon hissed and wisped away like a shadow disappearing from existence.

Ooh, if I had known what I had gotten myself into...


End file.
